Month: June 2015

Home Made Spanakopita and a Nice Pinot Grigio…

My good friend Joy has been in the same boat with me for the end of this school year. She’s another mom with 8th and 12th grade graduations, and I just scored- she shared party leftovers with me.

IMG_6985Joy’s spanakopita now shares the same ranking as my mom-in-law’s enchiladas- dishes that I will never order at a restaurant ever again because someone’s home made version can never be topped. Ever. I humbly place my cinnamon rolls on that pedestal, too. Joy’s pastries were the lightest, most buttery, cheese and spinach-filled Greek pillows of happiness. Unbelievable.

This stuff was that good. Thanks, Joy, what fabulous snacks!

IMG_6986And thanks, too, for the bottle of the Pinot Grigio, the Santa Margherita 2013 from Italy. I’m not too familiar with Pinot Grigio, but I like how it is light, a little sweet and fruity, but still a little on the dry side. I prefer less sweet wines, and this was lovely with the different melons and the spanakopita. A very nice, light wine to sit and share with friends this summer- what wine isn’t better when shared with friends? Joy says it is in Costco now at a great price. Get your summer wines stocked up, everyone!

Rainbow Carrots… Magically Delicious, Maybe?

A couple of weeks ago, a bag of miniature rainbow carrots caught my eye at the grocery store- it is funny how my attempt at finding new things to do each and every day has me looking for the novel in my every-day activities. I picked up the carrots thinking my kids would like these more colorful versions for their lunches… nope. The carrots couldn’t compete with the end of the year parties and activities and got shoved to the back of the vegetable drawer.

Cal-Organic's Rainbow Carrots
Cal-Organic’s Rainbow Carrots

About ten days later I rediscovered the bag and they became the side dish at dinner. The rainbow carrots did not taste any different than ordinary, every-day orange carrots, but they looked really nice! As with other carrots, they are available in the pre-peeled bags as baby carrots, but are about half the price if you buy them by the bunch. Really, for a couple of bucks, this makes a nice change at dinner and was an inexpensive way to try something new. I’d buy them again- maybe the next time I volunteer to bring the vegetables and dip at a potluck?

Microwaved for 5 minutes, ready for the oven after seasoning...
Microwaved for 5 minutes, ready for the oven after seasoning…
All done! They keep their color, but taste the same as ordinary carrots.
All done! They keep their color, but taste the same as ordinary carrots.

Roasted Carrots
Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped about two to three inches long… “baby carrot” sized
  • 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, just a sprinkle of each
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Toss carrots and olive oil together in a baking dish such as an 8″x 8″ baking pan. Sprinkle brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder over the carrots and toss again. Bake carrots for 45 minutes to one hour… I like my vegetables well cooked and go for the full hour, usually. If you are more pressed for time, you can reduce the baking time to 20-30 minutes by microwaving the carrots alone for 5 minutes, then toss in the oil and seasonings.

Until trying them roasted, I never cared for cooked carrots. Yum!

Two Moms and A Lot of Fun…

The Intention:

Zumbar- the best coffee in San Diego
Zumbar- the best coffee in San Diego

Two moms have all teens and pre-teens either in school or otherwise accountable. They meet for coffee and pastries, have tickets to the San Diego County Fair, and plan to spend AS MUCH TIME AS THEY WANT, all morning and afternoon, to pore over the art, horticulture, cooking, and any other exhibits WITHOUT KIDS SAYING “Mooooom, we’re booooooored, can’t we leave the exhibits and ride the Throw ‘Em Upper Coaster now?!??”

Hidden Agenda:

Get the Swedish partner in crime to try Fair Food. Fried Fair Food.

The Reality:

The fair is closed for the first two Tuesdays. Dammit!

What We Did:

Liberty Station
Liberty Station

Sat in the fairground parking lot for five minutes wondering how it escaped both of our attention to this Tuesday closing… kept getting distracted with twenty other subjects, then decided to hit another San Diego landmark instead. Liberty Station? Great idea! I’ve never looked around this beautiful site or explored the grounds.

Need to come back to see more!
Need to come back to see more!

We had a great time wandering around, looking at all of the different art shops that were open at the time… less than half, I’d say, but we picked up flyers about a bunch of upcoming local events, classes and restaurants. There’s a WINE AND CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL!! June 26th, people, mark your calendars- I know I am!

Bonus:

I kind of covered the hidden agenda, but it was a total compromise. Stone Brewing has an appetizer that can convert any vegetable hater- Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts, with Pancetta and a Honey Balsamic dressing. Holy Explicative, these are great, and I’m glad I got to introduce my friend to this snack and the lovely Stone restaurant.

We are trying for the fair again later this week. We are bound and determined. And I will make Annika try fair food- corn dog or funnel cake… her choice!

Let’s See If That Dump Cake Recipe Book Really Delivers…

I’m dubious, but I bought this book at the drugstore. Have you seen the late-night infomercial with the lady mixing up delicious cakes in minutes, no… SECONDS flat! “As Seen On T.V.” stuff… I know you are wondering about it, too, don’t deny it… we all are on the verge of purchasing a case of Left Handed Turnip Twaddlers, just like Opus the Penguin.*

I was game enough to plunk down ten bucks at CVS- no dealing with shipping, handling or over-the-phone credit card purchases. For less than the cost of a movie I will entertain myself for a couple hours with either surprisingly delicious cake results, or, even more fun, surprisingly ridiculous, disastrous, experiments.

It’s a win-win around here!

Three ingredients go into the greased 9″x13″ pan- Berries, Chocolate Cake Mix, and a Stick of Butter
Step One: 3 cups of strawberries go into a greased 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
Step Two: Evenly sprinkle the chocolate cake mix on top of the berries.
Step Three: Lay one sliced stick of butter on top, trying to cover as much of the cake as possible.
Finished cake has some spots with dry cake mix...
45 minutes at 350 and here it is. Finished cake has some spots with dry cake mix…
But, it tasted pretty good.
…but, it tasted pretty good. This wasn’t too bad, honestly. I wouldn’t make it for company… but I’m going to give it another try with one of the apple cake recipes

*Can I get a shout out from anyone who recognized the Bloom County reference?

Wine to Wrap-Up a Hectic Week. Or Two.

It has been a long couple of weeks. A fortnight fraught with all emotions a person can muster, and more graduate parties and activities than you could shake a stick at.

Whew.

Wine me, please!

Hilliard Bruce 2009 Pinot Noir
Hilliard Bruce 2009 Pinot Noir

Here is one of our Wine Winnings from a few months ago: Hilliard Bruce 2009 Pinot Noir… very nice. I am just beginning to learn about this red wine, and I like how even though they are not as full of tannins or as powerful as a Cabernet, the Pinot Noir still tastes and feels like a red wine. They are lighter, but not watered down.

If you are interested in learning more about this varietal, like me, you might want to start here: Pinot Nor- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_noir for a simple introduction.

Happy drinking, all, and congratulations to all the graduates of 2015!